The 5 Best Unreal Engine Tutorials [Ranked]

In this post, we examine five of the best-selling Unreal Engine Udemy classes online.

Sure, there are a bunch of YouTube tutorials you can watch- but Udemy Unreal Engine courses are generally higher quality.

Plus some of them are actually produced by Epic Games (scroll down a bit- we link to both of them).

Unreal Engine is a set of tools used in the creation of 3D video games. Udemy courses help students learn how to implement these powerful tools in creating their own virtual worlds and games (Source).

How does it work?

Udemy courses are online classes where people can access high-grade instructional content and teaching materials according to their own schedule. Classes normally have fees, and once the fee is paid, the student can then begin the course and finish it in their own time frame.

It's important to note that these courses provide you a Certificate of Completion- not an actually Unreal Engine certification. Though two of the Udemy courses are actually produced by Epic Games (the creator of the Unreal Engine).

How Do They Compare

Here, we look at five Unreal courses offered by Udemy and what they offer.

The first course gives you the knowledge to make a game prototype using Unreal Engine 4. With this course, you will learn a basic understanding of UE4 and gain an introduction into particle systems, which are important in 3D game design. People with no experience taking this course said it provided good information to make the steep learning curve easier.

The second course, UE4 Intro to Game Design, teaches students how to use UE4 to make simple games by making levels, placing objects, and creating interactive gameplay. You will learn how to employ basic textures and other effects. Users said this was a great intro course into UE4 and basic game design and that the information presented was easy to follow.

The next course is UE4 Mastery. This course instructs students on how to create multiplayer games using C++. With this, you will learn the fundamentals of the C++ programming language and learn how to write clean, clear code. Lastly, you will learn the basics of creating usable in-game AI to make your games more challenging. People taking this course found it to be paced well and said they got a good understanding of how to use UE4 for multiplayer games.

Up next is the course UE4: Complete Course for Beginners. As the title suggests, this is the program you should take if you’re totally new to Unreal Engine and game development. With this, you will learn basic game development, how to build realistic environments, and how to script logic into gameplay without the need for coding. This is a solid course with easy to grasp concepts that serves as a great intro into the world of game development (Source).

Last up is the UE4: How to Develop Your First Two Games. This program gives you a clear and thorough understanding of the Unreal Engine and how to use the tools to make an immersive video game. This course is also approved by Epic, the creators of UE, and is a perfect course for getting a strong handle on the tools and skills needed for this type of programming.

This UE 4 tutorial is comprehensive, useful, and an excellent choice if you want to learn how to build games. Created by Christopher Murphy of Epic Games, students say they love that Epic Games approves it, but some do note that it’s not as beginner friendly as they expected.

This course aims at teaching you the basics of game development, and it includes over 80 lectures, which will show you how to use Unreal Engine 4 and build two games with the help of the tutor. What’s also great is that you’ll get a grasp of the strategies and tools need to detect and debug an error.

By the end of the course, you should be able to create not only games but also architectural visualizations and simulations.

In general, pupils have a high opinion of the course, and they highly recommend it as one of the best game engine tutorials. An enroller comments that the material is easy to follow and that the instructor explains most of the functions and concepts well. He adds that the two games are very educational and give you a good understanding of how the platform works. Another student remarks that he learned useful techniques and skills and that it’s perfect for a technical developer looking to improve their abilities.

However, a couple of enrollees have noted that the instructor doesn’t explain everything and that they find the process of building games too complicated. Some also mention that the tutor doesn’t answer questions quickly.

If you want to create amazing, realistic games, but you don’t have any programming experience, this online Unreal tutorial might be one of your best options. Students love how the lectures are presented, but some do note that the pace is slow.

This course will teach you basic game development from levels and characters to the user interface and audio in addition to UE4 installation. You’ll also be able to make a realistic environment for your game and understand script logic so that you can define gameplay. The material includes 62 lectures, 15 tutorials, and nine quizzes to test your knowledge.

A student states that this is one of the best online Unreal courses he has participated in and that the lecturer is swift in answering questions. He highly recommends it for those new in the game development sphere. Another reviewer mentions that the material was well-structured, easy to follow and everything was explained in simple terms. He adds that the instructor speaks clearly and that you can take notes.

An enroller also comments that it’s perfect for beginners because it explains everything from scratch and that the topics are well-selected. However, some pupils have noted that the Blueprint system could be better explained and that the lecturer is monotonic and dull at times.

This UE4 mastery tutorial, by Tom Looman of Epic Games, is comprehensive, easy to follow, approved by Epic Games, and suitable for those who have already some programming experience. Students love the fun activities, but some do note that they had issues with the sound.

This course is aimed at those familiar with programming languages, but new to C++ and who won’t mind discovering its tricks and features. It will show you how to build two multiplayer-ready games, multiples types of AL elements, code weapons, characters, power-ups, and more. In addition to this, the lecturer shows how to expose C++ to Blueprint so that you can use all the functions of the platform.

A reviewer comments that this is one of the best Unreal Engine 4 practical courses and that it’s challenging and fun. He adds that the pace was excellent and that the lecturer shows you how to fix mistakes and avoid them. Another student observes that he liked the C++ tips and tricks and that the content is well-balanced and interesting.

A pupil also states that he feels confident to try and create his own games on the Unreal game engine and that the lectures are comprehensive, but not lengthy.

However, some users have noted that the instructor jumps through the coding and that there are confusing moments.

If you are looking for an online course to get familiar with UE4, this tutorial by Greg Wondra, into game design might be what you need.

Students love the usefulness of the lectures, but some do note that the text is blurry in some videos. This Unreal Engine 4 tutorial will show you how to download and install it and then use its tool to create interactive gameplay, levels, effects, and place objects.

It consists of 35 video lessons that will guide to build a simple shooting game even if you don’t have any prior experience in coding, programming or working with UE4. However, you need a computer with 8 GM RAM, Quad-core Intel or AMD processor and DirectX 11.

A reviewer comments that the course encompasses everything a beginner needs to start using UE4 and that he has been using it to teach his high school class. He adds that the information is well-presented and that you understand the logic behind the actions.

Another pupil mentions that he learned useful techniques and that he grows confident in his abilities to create games on his own. A student also observes that Blueprints is explained in simple terms and that the instructions are easy to follow. However, a couple of enrollees have noted that the quality of the video is not high enough and that they would have liked quizzes.

This Unreal Engine 4 tutorial from Rob Brooks is comprehensive, well-structured, and an excellent choice to learn how UE4 works and how to use it.

Students love the easy to understand lectures and the quizzes, but some do note that the pace is slow for them. The course aims to teach you how to navigate the interface, program a player/boss, implement save/load functions, import content from different sources, and more.

You’ll also get to use Blueprints and learn how to apply audio and sound control. The material is structured in a way to make it easy for someone unfamiliar with UE4 to follow. After you’ve mastered the basics, it moves to more in-depth concepts and techniques.

In general, students have a high opinion of this tutorial, and they highly recommend it as one of the best Unreal Engine 4 tutorials.

A reviewer comments that the beginning is fast, but he learned a lot even though he has never used UE4 before. He adds that the lecturer is great and knowledgeable and evidently cares about his subject. Another pupil states that he likes how the instructor shares his mistakes with the audience so that they can learn from them and that he gives clear explanation why you have to do things in certain order.

However, a couple of students have noted that they had troubles following what’s happening and that they had to go back and forth between the lectures.

Pros

​Well-structured

Quizzes

Easy to understand

In-depth knowledge

Practical technique

Cons

​Confusing for some

Too slow for others

What Is Unreal Engine: A History

Unreal Engine is a game engine for PC and consoles created by the company Epic Games and mainly geared towards first-person shooter games even if it has diversified a bit of late. The main competitors of this engine are Unity, the CryENGINE developed by Crytek and the Lumberyard of Amazon (fork of CryENGINE ).

The first version was created for the first-person shooter, released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Mac OS.

Over the years the development has continued, adapting the software to the potential of the available hardware and bringing it to other platforms. The fourth generation of the engine is currently available.

Versions

Unreal Engine 1

The Engine began in 1998 its debut with some popular video games like Adventure Pinball: Forgotten Island and Rune: Viking Warlord. Already, this first version integrated a rather advanced rendering technology and included collision detection, good artificial intelligence, networking, and scripting, making it a complete graphics engine. In large parts, the graphics engine was created by implementing a scripting language customized by Epic Games, known as UnrealScript.

The performance of the graphics engine in multiplayer mode was initially very poor, especially compared to its main competitor, Quake II. Then with the Tournament great strides have been made in terms of network performance, and support for Direct3D and OpenGL has been added.

Unreal Engine 2

The second version of the Engine made its very first debut with America’s Army. With this version the base code and the rendering engine have been completely rewritten, also the Ragdoll physics have been implemented and support has been added to the sixth generation consoles such as GameCube and Xbox.

Going forward with the seventh generation, the Unreal Engine 2, had to adapt to more powerful hardware like Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3; for this, the Engine 2.5 was created.

With the Engine 2.5 some improvements were added that would then be used with the Engine 3, which is a significantly improved rendering, physics applicable to vehicles, and an enhanced particle system.

On 24 March 2011, Ubisoft Montreal revealed that Engine 2.5 had been successfully implemented on Nintendo 3DS.

Unreal Engine 3

The first screenshots of the Engine 3 were presented in 2004 after a period of 18 months of development. The third version of the Engine was created to work exclusively with versions of DirectX9 or higher. It can support Pixel Shader Model 3.0; the normal, bump and parallax mapping operate more efficiently, accurately and also supports the most advanced graphics settings such as the ‘ global illumination, HDRI, diffuse reflection and displacement mapping.

In terms of shading, ambient occlusion and Gouraud shading have also been implemented.

The first game to implement the Engine 3 was Gears of War on Xbox 360, in 2006. Over time its high versatility and its exceptional graphics qualities have made Unreal Engine 3 one of the most used and appreciated engines of the seventh generation.

The most advanced and refined version is the Unreal Engine 3.9, used in Gears of War 3.

Unreal Engine 4

Version 4 was announced in early 2005. This version was intended to be usable in part by the seventh generation platforms, but mostly from the eighth. According to a statement of the president of Epic Games, Michael Capps, Unreal Engine 4 would not be ready before 2012.

In 2013, during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, several tech-demos of the Unreal Engine 4 were shown, running on a PC with 16 gigabytes of RAM and with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 graphics card.

From 2014 a $ 19 monthly subscription allows access to a copy of the EU4 and its source code. As of March 2nd, 2015, Unreal Engine 4 is available for free to all, paying a 5% royalty on gross income, after the first $ 3000 per product, per quarter.

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